Reese - 20 years later, rebirth from Air Force Base to technology center

Tuesday

Sep 12, 2017 at 12:02 PM

MATT DOTRAY

Lubbock was poised for a potential disaster when Reese Air Force Base closed in 1997, but community leaders came together to seize an opportunity.

What’s there now at the former west Lubbock County base is a lot different than it had been two decades ago, but things are there, and that was the goal.

Air Force pilots once taking to the skies of West Texas have been replaced by college students, researchers and business employees. The work that went into keeping it from becoming a ghost town led to Reese Air Force Base being one of the more successful military base closure rebirths in the country.

It’s a success story, given the circumstances.

On Tuesday afternoon, in recognition of 20 years since the closure, many of the key players gathered at the old base to celebrate that success.

"We’ve been told this is one of the most successful military base closure rebirths in the country," said Jerry Bell, president of the board at Reese Technology Center. "Our focus is bringing new jobs and we’ve been pretty successful. … This could have been a disaster, it could have been really ugly… we owe a great deal of gratitude to the 1996-97 elected officials and community leaders who established the foundation for what Reese Technology Center has become today."

The base officially closed on Oct. 1, 1997, after 55 years in operation. A few weeks after it closed, the Lubbock-Reese Redevelopment Authority took over, governing the property and developing it to where it is now. The authority made it a mission to bring businesses to the 2,500-acre site west of Research Boulevard near Fourth Street. There’s more than 20 private organizations now working out of the Reese Technology Center, not to mention the larger users — Texas Tech and South Plains College — that actually own land at Reese.

Then-state Sen. Robert Duncan, who’s now the chancellor at Tech, was the lead author of the bill designating the Reese redevelopment group as a separate political entity. Executive Director Murvat Musa described Reese as a small city. Musa and her staff maintain roads, water and sewage lines, and the green space. Reese is not a taxing entity, however. All of its funds are drawn from the leases on facilities.

Duncan, as well as Tech President Lawrence Schovanec, spoke at the 20th-anniversary celebration Tuesday.

"This community does what it always does, and it pulled together," said Duncan. "Look at all the commerce that’s out here. It’s all a result of people pulling together and coming up with good ideas. … It’s the best example I know of how this community can pull together and make things happen."

Still, what Reese Air Force Base meant to Lubbock is still missed. Duncan recalled driving to Levelland to watch the planes go to and from the base. County Commissioner Patti Jones recalled lining the sides of the road with much of the town to urge members of the Defense Base Closure and Realignment Commission to keep the base open. And Lubbock Mayor Pro Tem Latrelle Joy recalled fear in the city about the potential economic impact and the dilapidated buildings the closure could bring.

Bell said Lubbock’s diverse economy held strong, and the Reese authority got to work trying to attract businesses.

"Thank you all for what you did during what was considered a very difficult time," Joy said to the original committee members who were present Tuesday. "I think all of us had fear that this would just become vacant land and nothing would happen. But people with much forethought and forward thinking made this happen."

Guest speakers during the anniversary celebration Tuesday also included Robin Satterwhite, president of South Plains College, and the area’s state officials.

After the speakers wrapped up, Musa thanked all the businesses that have moved into the Reese Technology Center. Zachry Group, which works in construction, is the largest private space-holder, but Reese is also home to KBRwyle Aerospace, Switch I.T. Support, WesTex Documents, Group NIRE and many others.

Musa said there is over 900,000 square feet of leasable space at Reese. By her estimates, it’s nearly 70 percent full.

"We’re fortunate to have some amazing customers out here," Musa said. "We have assets that the Air Force built for a specific purpose, and we’re trying to repurpose them. The challenge is it doesn’t always fit. Like we’ve got a former officers club, and a recreation center, and a gym, and a bowling alley, and a movie theater. You take these things that belonged to almost like a small city, the Air Force base, and you’ve got to repurpose them and be really forward thinking. You need some vision."

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